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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Iran War Widens As Egypt And Saudi Arabia Get Pulled In; Trump Says Hamas Disarmament Deal Reached; Trump Mulls Pulling Blanche Nomination Temporarily; 2 Bodies Found After 10 Climbers Go Missing In Pakistan; Nine Dead As Thousands Of Migrants Enter Spanish Enclave From Morocco; Man Who Witnessed Fatal ICE Shooting Speaks To CNN; First Responders Take Stand In Lindsay Clancy Trial. Four Bodies Found after 10 Climbers Go Missing in Pakistan Avalanche; Health Secretary RFK, Jr. Launches Cooking Show; CNN Poll Reveals Rise in Number of Democratic Socialists; UEFA Vows to Stop World Cup over Private Investment Plan. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 31, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:01:02]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Coming up, the story is missing climbers, a search operation underway for several people missing after an avalanche. Among them a renowned mountaineer.
The story is countering ICE's narrative. A witness to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado in Texas is breaking his silence in an exclusive conversation with CNN's Ed Lavandera.
And the story is RFK Jr. launching a new cooking show. He says it's about more than just health and could even fix America's loneliness epidemic. We'll discuss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles. The story is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Thanks so much for being with us. For the story is. I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles, where it is 10 p.m. the top story, though, is the widening war with Iran, where it is now morning time.
Egypt now getting pulled into that conflict for the first time. Egyptian officials say a drone hit one of the country's ports, setting two ships on fire. No one has claimed responsibility for that.
Iran's foreign minister urged vigilance against what he called false flag operations designed to undermine regional peace. Here's how one Iranian citizen describes the expanding war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MILAD KESHAVARZ, IRANIAN CITIZEN (through translator): A major war will not happen. In my opinion this is a war of attrition. I think Trump also has a decision and a view that he wants to prolong the war to the point that it becomes normal for the world and ordinary people, like the war in Gaza and Israel, which has become a war of attrition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia says that 14 nations have rallied behind its proposal to set up a new maritime alliance that would protect international shipping routes and global trade. All of that comes after Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed and vowed retaliation for the latest wave of U.S. strikes.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said, quote, the Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and the courageous sailors of the IRGC maybe firmly control it. No outsider will be permitted to interfere.
President Trump is hailing what he calls a historic agreement with Hamas. He says a deal has been reached to fully disarm Hamas and all other groups that are armed in Gaza. The president says that agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. And once Hamas is disarmed, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza.
Now, disarming Hamas is essential to carrying out President Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. But this is pretty important. Hamas has not yet confirmed that there is a deal at all.
President Trump says he might withdraw his pick for attorney general until early next year. Two Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are holding up Todd Blanche's nomination, and the president says he might renominate Blanche once they are out of office. More now from CNN's Manu Raju on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now time is of the essence because the Senate goes on a more than month long recess starting at the end of next week, which means that if Blanche is not confirmed by the end of next week, that could mean it will continue to languish over the August recess, the summer work period when members are back home, they're campaigning, they're on vacation.
And oftentimes when there is not momentum behind something in Washington, that means it will collapse, it will be defeated, and it will simply go away. And that's what Todd Blanche is most concerned about at this point because the president has warned, he did so on Thursday afternoon, that he would simply withdraw the nomination of Todd Blanche if it came to it, and then renominate him next year in the new Congress when both John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are no longer members.
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[01:05:05] MICHAELSON: Now sources say Blanche met with Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis privately. They and other Republicans have raised concerns about the president's settlement with the IRS and that so called anti- weaponization fund.
Rescue teams have recovered two bodies as they search for eight other mountain climbers feared missing after a big avalanche in Pakistan. Neither body has been identified. The group has been out of communication since that avalanche Thursday. Among them is world renowned Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja. He made history in 2019 by climbing 14 of the world's tallest peaks in just over six months.
Live now to Beijing. CNN Mike Valerio is following all of this. Mike, what is the latest on the search itself?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been able to find out, Elex, that the GPS coordinates of four of those climbers. We have Nims Purja and his team of 10, the GPS coordinates of four of them are showing up. In addition to that harrowing development that came in within the past few minutes, that two bodies have been found on this mountain. They have not been identified as of yet.
The byline there from Lex Harvey, Ross Adkin and Xiaoqian Lin, our team in Hong Kong working on this in addition to the Beijing bureau. So here's essentially what happened. There was a major avalanche in the middle of the day on Thursday. And we're talking about Broad Peak, which is the 12th highest mountain on earth.
If you want to put it into terms of what we're familiar with, we're talking about the size of 18 Empire State buildings stacked on top of another, one on top of the other. For all of our friends watching in Los Angeles, this is like 26 library towers, the crown of the Los Angeles skyline. 26 of them stacked one on top of another on the border of Pakistan and way out western China. So an avalanche happens and then authorities lost communication with them ever since.
The roster of climbers, an international squad, five Nepalese climbers, a Pakistani mountaineer, one from Oman, one from America, somebody from China, and then one other international climber. We're still working on some of the names to complete the roster, but that's the latest reporting that we have from the Associated Press as well as information that we're able to get from the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
So the search remains ongoing. And I'll add that two army helicopters have also been deployed. We're trying to see if China is going to send resources as well. Elex.
MICHAELSON: Mike, what was the whole idea behind this climb in the first place? What was the plan here?
VALERIO: So it was to summit this huge mountain, but then to come back down. And this remarkable climber, Nims Purja, said, well, I've climbed this mountain. If I climb one more Cho Oyu on the border of Nepal and China, I could be the first person to summit all of the tallest mountains on earth twice without supplemental oxygen. There's the club of 14 tallest mountains, which are above 8,000 meters, 26,300 feet.
So he wanted to be the first person to do it again, climb this mountain on the border of Pakistan and China. Come down. Climb another one on the border of China and Nepal. So he said that was his mission, and you certainly saw humility when he posted on X, Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted, not one. The moment my foot leaves base camp, it's 100 percent. Always has been, always will be.
So the search for him and the rest of the 10 remains ongoing, but those two bodies found yet to be identified.
MICHAELSON: Mike Valerio in Beijing. Mike, thank you for that.
Now to Morocco.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many hours at sea?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hours?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This is my little brother.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many hours at sea?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than four hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Despair in plain sight. As crowds of migrants jumped into the sea in Morocco to swim to a nearby Spanish enclave, thousands of others broke through a border fence on Thursday, where nine people died in the process. There were similar scenes in another Spanish enclave where the border with Morocco was closed on Thursday night.
Spain is now sending the military to this area, and Spain's prime minister is heading there in the coming hours. It is still not clear what caused this sudden dash of big crowds that you see here across the border.
Those two enclaves located along Morocco's coast, and they've often been a target of desperate migrants hoping for a better life in Europe. One migrant says there's a flip side to that.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Around 600 people are wandering around Morocco looking for a chance to get in. I understand why. They're told that there's a future in Spain, that there are jobs there, and there are. But the truth is, when they arrive, they're faced with the harsh reality that they have nothing and people treat them as if they were nobodies.
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MICHAELSON: We go live now to Italy. We're joined by Judith Sunderland, a senior associate director at the Human Rights Watch. Good morning to you.
JUDITH SUNDERLAND, SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Good morning.
MICHAELSON: The pictures are so dramatic here. We put some of those up on the screen and it's easy to empathize with the plight of the migrants. But Spanish authorities say that they have a responsibility to protect their borders. Do you agree with how Spain handled this?
And if not, what should they be doing instead?
SUNDERLAND: Well, look, I mean, these are, unfortunately, it's a phenomenon that we've seen over the years. This is certainly not the first time that you've had significant numbers of people trying to cross the border from Morocco into one of the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
And, you know, the Spanish authorities have responded in various ways over the years, including with significant violence, causing numerous deaths over the years, as well as with summary expulsions. And those are wrongheaded responses.
And this time around, we have seen until now a different response. And that, in my view, is positive. Now, what matters is how the authorities take care of the situation now, take care of the people who have arrived and ensure their rights are respected and also ensure that, you know, this overall situation is handled in a way that responds to the needs and concerns of the local population.
MICHAELSON: Here in America. Yes, here in America. So much has been written about the southern border with Mexico and migration there in Europe. This is obviously one of the flashpoints.
What does what we're seeing now say about Europe's approach to migration and how it may be similar to America's or different?
SUNDERLAND: Well, what we've seen over the years in the European Union is a sort of race to the bottom when it comes to approaches to migration and asylum. The European Union has recently adopted, recently overhauled its asylum legislation in an effort to further seal their borders, but in ways that really violate people's rights and significant, undermine the right to seek asylum.
We and many others have criticized this trend. The E.U. is also in the same way that the United States is doing as well, trying to what we call externalize its migration and asylum controls. In other words, trying to get countries outside of the E.U. to do their dirty work.
Spain is actually an outlier in all of this. It has very famously adopted a plan to regularize a significant number of undocumented migrants in Spain. This is also, in our view, a very positive step, but it has caused a lot of criticism from other E.U. countries and that is flaring up in this current situation as well.
MICHAELSON: Judith Sunderland joining us from Milan. Judith, thanks so much.
SUNDERLAND: Thank you.
Now to a CNN exclusive. A witness to the fatal ICE shooting of a man in Texas is now breaking his silence.
Jose Trinidad was inside the van of Lorenzo Salgado, who we see here when Salgado was shot by federal immigration agent. Trinidad was sitting only a few feet away when those gunshots rang out and now he's speaking out for the first time about what he saw in an interview with CNN's Ed Lavandera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSE TRINIDAD ROJAS PLIEGO, WITNESSED FATAL ICE SHOOTING: I feel a bit traumatized or something like that. I'm sad about what happened, and especially about what I saw, since I was the one who witnessed it all.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jose Trinidad says things will never be the same, that he's traumatized by the shooting because he saw it all. The 52-year-old construction worker witnessed the final moments of Lorenzo Salgado's life from inside the van driven by the man he simply called el patron, the boss.
It was just before 7:00 a.m. on July 7th when ICE officers in unmarked cars started pursuing the four-man crew of construction workers in East Houston. Trinidad says he was sitting a few feet behind Salgado in the van.
[01:15:04]
Jose tells me during the pursuit he heard the men up front say they were being chased by ICE officers. Videos show ICE officers pursuing Salgado's van in unmarked cars, at one point racing past the van on Canal Street. The last video shows ICE officers taking the three other men into custody and Salgado on the ground handcuffed just after being shot.
LAVANDERA: When the ICE officer shot, where was he standing?
PLIEGO: On the side.
LAVANDERA: Who's side?
PLIEGO: Of his brother.
LAVANDERA: On the passenger side?
PLIEGO: The passenger side.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Trinidad says the ICE officer shot Salgado through the passenger window. The Department of Homeland Security says during the chase, Salgado attempted to evade arrest, then weaponized his vehicle and tried to run over an ICE officer and that's when an agent opened fire in self-defense.
PLIEGO: That's a lie.
LAVANDERA: That's a lie?
PLIEGO: Yes.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Trinidad says the DHS statement is a lie. There are no known videos that capture the moment of the shooting. The ICE officers were not wearing body cameras.
Trinidad says ICE agents were never in front of or behind the van and that Lorenzo was about to turn himself over to the officers.
The three men with Salgado inside the van have been in custody since the shooting. But this week a judge ordered Trinidad's release and this is the first time he's spoken publicly in detail about what happened. After his release, Trinidad paid tribute to his friend at the memorial honoring Lorenzo Salgado on Canal Street and then prayed at his friend's grave site.
Jose Trinidad says he and the other men in the van were simply going to work and that he's speaking out in hopes of getting Lorenzo Salgado and his family justice.
LAVANDERA: We asked the Department of Homeland Security to respond to Jose Trinidad's allegations that their version of events in the shooting was a, quote, lie. DHS referred all questions to the FBI, which is investigating the shooting. The other two men that were in the white van with Trinidad, they remain in immigration custody. Trinidad is out, but there are terms of his release which dictate he must check in regularly with ICE.
He has to wear an ankle monitor and he is not allowed to work in the U.S. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.
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MICHAELSON: Ed, thank you. Compelling new testimony in the case of the Massachusetts mom who killed her children. What first responders say happened when they arrived at Lindsay Clancy's home. We'll break it down next.
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MICHAELSON: New developments in the trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy, who strangled her three children to death more than three years ago. First responders testified about the disturbing scene that they encountered as well as Clancy's injuries after she tried to kill herself. CNN's Jenn Sullivan takes us inside the courtroom.
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JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Nearly a dozen first responders taking the stand Thursday describing the harrowing scene inside the Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts on the night of January 24, 2023.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He looked up and he screamed she killed the kids.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Inside the home, first responders found three children unresponsive, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I checked Callan's pulse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did he have a pulse?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Paramedics also testified Thursday they found Lindsay Clancy unresponsive and administered Narcan, thinking she may have overdosed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No verbal communication. She never like fully woke up.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): Lindsay Clancy is accused of strangling her three children with exercise bands. She's charged with three counts of first degree murder. Her now ex-husband Patrick Clancy testifying Wednesday about what he witnessed that night.
PATRICK CLANCY, LINDSAY CLANCY EX-HUSBAND: She said, I tried to kill myself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you ask her anything else?
CLANCY: I said, where are the kids?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what was her response?
CLANCY: She said, they're in the basement.
SULLIVAN (voice-over): During cross examination, Patrick Clancy testified about his then wife's struggles with mental health. Lindsay Clancy's attorney is arguing she should not be held criminally responsible for the killings because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and extreme mental illness. Clancy has pleaded not guilty. I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.
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MICHAELSON: Talk about this and other court cases making news. Want to bring in former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani who is the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. Welcome back to The Story Is.
NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Of course, thanks for having me, Elex. MICHAELSON: First responders who does that help? Sort of. What's the big takeaway from them on the stand?
RAHMANI: Elex, typically helps the prosecution and normally that's how prosecutors start murder cases. In this particular case, though, out of sympathy and respect for Patrick, who's the victim here, the judge allowed him to testify first for both the prosecution and the defense. He said, you know what, I'm not going to make this poor grieving father testify more than once. So he really laid the scene.
But the first responders, they corroborated what he said. So obviously Patrick came home, he saw his wife jump out of a two story building, her neck and her wrists slashed. He didn't know his children were dead. She just told him that they're in the basement.
And then when he went there, the most horrific scene, they had been choked with exercise bands and he yelled to them, they won't wake up. They can't get up. It was terrible. One of the most heart wrenching testimonies that I've ever seen as a prosecutor.
MICHAELSON: I mean, I can't -- can't even imagine that reality for him and everything that went through his mind. So in terms of the big picture, so where are we at on this case? A few days into it.
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RAHMANI: So it's a lack of criminal responsibility case which in other states it's an insanity defense. That's what they call it in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. And typically these have a very, very small chance of success. But in this particular case, I think the defense has a shot, not a great shot, but a shot.
This is why, obviously, she tried to commit suicide, but there's a pretty well documented history of mental health issues. She checked herself into a psychiatric facility. She committed this heinous murder, which is not in dispute, 19 days after she was released. And she was on 12 different prescription medications at different points.
So I think the defense has a shot here where they normally don't when it comes to insanity or criminal responsibility.
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, another case making headlines in Georgia. It's the first of its kind. Want to put this up on the screen from the CNN.com headline, Father of Georgia School Shooter Sentenced to 3:15 Years in Prison in landmark murder case. So the son, Colt Gray, killed four people in 2024 in a school shooting.
His father sentenced to 15 years in prison today. The argument being that he bought the son a gun, he left it unsupervised, and he knew that the son may be at risk. Here's what some folks said in the courtroom during the victim statements today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISMAEL ANGULO, BROTHER CHRISTIAN WAS KILLED: He is a complete failure of father. He made a choice to buy that rifle. He made a choice to ignore every red flag. And because of his choices, my little brother Christian and three others, Mason, Coach Aspinwall and Ms. Irimie are gone. And so many others will carry permanent scars for the rest of their lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: This case now being appealed, this is something being watched around the country because this could set a standard.
RAHMANI: Oh, no question. Today was a first, really unprecedented. And for the first time in American history, Elex, a parent was held responsible for murder for a school shooting committed by their children. There have been other manslaughter cases, but this was a second degree murder case.
And this is why there was plenty of evidence that Colt the son had significant mental health issues. He was obsessed with school shooters. Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland School shooter, of course, the worst school shooting in American history. Notwithstanding this, his father for Christmas bought him a high powered rifle. That rifle was used months later to commit the Apalachee High School shooting.
So the prosecutors, they took a very aggressive stance and they made a really creative argument. It's going to be interesting to see if it stands up on appeal. Because for murder, unlike manslaughter, you need to show intent or malicious mind.
And in this particular case, the argument was that Colt Gray was put his child in danger. And because he put a firearm in the hands of a mentally unwell child, that child could have killed himself. Now, he ended up killing other children and teachers, but by doing so, because of that child endangerment, under Georgia law, it constitutes murder. I think it may get overturned on appeal, but if not, I think we're going to start seeing other prosecutors take similar cases against parents whose children are involved in these mass shootings.
MICHAELSON: That issue ends up in the Supreme Court eventually. It's the kind of issue that certainly could. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, thank you so much for breaking all that down for us.
Coming up, RFK Jr. wants to fight the American loneliness epidemic by sharing a healthful meal. Next on The Story Is, we'll discuss with my panel, Abel Maldonado and Elizabeth Ashford. Stay with us.
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[01:32:52]
MICHAELSON: We have some breaking news.
An update on the search for climbers missing in Pakistan after an avalanche. Earlier, we told you that two bodies had been recovered by ground teams. We just learned of two more bodies that have been recovered.
So now a total of four bodies have been recovered. There were ten climbers overall. We do not know of any survivors so far. They were members of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. We also do not know so far the identities of the bodies that have been recovered.
We'll continue to follow that.
Now to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Americans have been told that they had to choose between a healthy food and food that they can afford, and that's simply not true.
Our first episode features Chef Andrew Gruel, and together we prepare salmon cakes with bean and arugula salad. The entire meal costs only $4.91 a serving. That's less than most fast-food meals.
"The Real Food Show" is not just about cooking. it's about helping Americans reconnect with one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. there on his newly-launched cooking show. The first 20-minute episode of "The Real Food Show" is on his YouTube channel. It features HHS's revised dietary guidelines.
Kennedy said the show reminds people cooking with real food can be simple and affordable. But he says it's also a chance to gather around the table and share at a time when people are too often isolated.
Our panel is back. On the left, political consultant Elizabeth Ashford, and on the right, California's former lieutenant governor, Republican Abel Maldonado.
Welcome back to you guys.
Andrew Gruel, the chef, is one of our regular panelists here on THE STORY IS and has sat in your seat many times, Abel, before talking about these issues.
[01:34:45]
MICHAELSON: This idea of a cooking show, because any time Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does anything, some people just flip out at the very concept of it. But is this actually kind of a creative good idea?
ABEL MALDONADO (R), FORMER CALIFORNIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: I think it's cool. I think it's a great idea. I mean, he's been pushing MAHA obviously, "Make America Healthy Again". And now he's got a cooking show with a very popular chef and talking about real, natural food that's affordable.
As you know, Elex, I'm a farmer. So yes, natural food. Absolutely.
And I think he's changing the food pyramid, which I think is very important. We're stuck to the old food pyramid of the past. Now it's new, just good natural food.
MICHAELSON: We know, of course, that Donald Trump was a television performer for many, many years. He's hired a cabinet full of many people who are experienced television performers, some of them cable news hosts.
Robert F. Kennedy is an experienced podcaster, has hosted things in the past. His Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, was a reality show star on MTV's "The Real World". He did a reality show with the Transportation Department.
What do you make of this sort of strategy of thinking differently and arming the cabinet with media performers?
ELIZABETH ASHFORD, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: I mean, people, you know -- people are tuning in. They want to be entertained. It looks like he's going to do the show with his shirt on, which is a departure from -- but I mean, I would say this like, of course, you know, they're going to be out talking about like the benefits of fish because, you know, a lot of people aren't going to have health care next year because of the Big, Beautiful Bill.
So I find it a little incongruous. But, you know, do I hate it? No, I don't hate it. Do I think that it's the real issue for the secretary of Health and Human Services to be spending his time on? Also, no.
MICHAELSON: Well, but isn't there a tremendous value in our country? Has an obesity epidemic that is a huge part of our health care costs and getting people to eat better, healthier, cleaner food could save the country and our health care system a lot of money, much less save a lot of lives.
ASHFORD: I mean, again, I don't hate it. I just think that it's a -- it's sort of a strange way to spend your time. It feels a little bit more like something you would do after retirement. But, you know, this is what, you know, what can what -- what is -- what does he not? You know, what can -- who can predict what he might do next?
MICHAELSON: Apparently work out in shorts and not jeans.
ASHFORD: I was going to say.
(CROSSTALKING)
MALDONADO. I think it relates, Elex. It relates to -- I mean, to the human factor down. I mean. I think it's great.
MICHAELSON: Yes. Well, so Robert F. Kennedy, of course, was a Democrat for most of his life. His father and uncle, two of the greatest Democrats of all time.
And there's new polling about where the Democratic Party is. He clearly has sort of moved on from the party after running as a president for Democrats.
Do you identify as a Democratic Socialist? A new CNN poll of Democratic or Democratic-leaning voters: 34 percent say yes, 66 percent say no.
Elizabeth, that's not an insignificant number. 34 percent, that used to be significantly lower. This influence is growing within the party.
ASHFORD: It is growing. I think what it is really telling us is that, you know, the electorate is really looking for change. And I think that a lot of the, you know, elder statesmen of the party are really seen as quite outdated by younger voters that are coming in.
And so, you know, what does it mean to be a Democratic socialist? Well, socialism in practice doesn't work out for anybody. But I think that there's a desire for change for fresh, you know, blood. And I think that's what's motivating a lot of that.
MICHAELSON: It is interesting, Abel, because the policy positions of Democratic socialists are very different than a lot of traditional Democrats. I wonder how many of those people know what the plans are.
MALDONADO: Well, I can tell you, when you look at that number that you just showed, Elex, 34 percent, it is a big number. And those folks are educated, very elite Democrats who are supporting the socialist agenda. That's who elected Mamdani.
I mean, look, obviously on the Republican side, we're kind of excited that they're talking about this socialism. But in the same token, the people that are running as socialist, Elex, they're the only ones really talking about issues, if you think about it.
Mamdani he talked about issues. Whether you like him or not, he talked about issues -- rent control, you can go on down the line.
Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, they're not talking about anything. They're polling 20 percent. So I always laugh about it. Trump's at 31. Schumer is at what, ten?
MICHAELSON: Yes, I mean, that is -- that's a good point because Mamdani is very message-disciplined. And he tells you what he's going to do --
MALDONADO: Authentic, too.
MICHAELSON: -- if you vote for him. And by the way, he's doing a lot of it, whether you like it or not.
When you hear from a lot of mainstream Democrats, the message is Donald Trump sucks. Donald Trump sucks. You don't want Donald Trump. So you should vote for us because I'm not Donald Trump.
But what is the sort of mainstream Democratic policy position of, I'm going to do this 1 or 2 things for you if you elect me.
[01:39:51]
ASHFORD: Well, so what this is about, I think, is that people in general want government to provide solutions to make their lives better. MICHAELSON: Yes.
ASHFORD: And so what you have with Mamdani, and you have with some of the DSA, is this very like, I'm going to do a, b, and c, as you pointed out.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MALDONADO: And they're doing it.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ASHFORD: And they're doing it. So how does that going to translate over time to the longer-term work of governments, which is balancing budgets --
MICHAELSON: Right.
ASHFORD: -- and making, you know, that remains to be seen. It is fresh. It is new. And so it is attractive. How does it work over time? We will see.
MICHAELSON: Let's end on something fun. Today is the birthday of somebody the three of us know well, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California.
He's somebody who made you the Lieutenant Governor of California. And he's somebody that you worked for and your husband worked for as well.
What is -- and a lot of other people know him as well. In a sentence, what's the most important lesson you learned from Arnold Schwarzenegger?
MALDONADO: I mean, he's just the greatest American success story of who he is. That's what I learned from him. Comes here with nothing, works hard, saves, plans, Mr. Universe, governor of California. I can go on and on.
And I wouldn't be sitting here, Elex, at this chair today if it wasn't for governor -- he's a great American.
MICHAELSON: Most important lesson you've learned from him?
ASHFORD: Just put your community before politics. Be practical and be optimistic. I mean, that is the message from Arnold.
MALDONADO: He is optimistic.
MICHAELSON: My lesson -- have a vision.
ASHFORD: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Don't listen to the naysayers.
MALDONADO: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And be useful as he likes to say.
So this is a cup from his institute. Cheers, governor. Happy birthday.
MALDONADO: Happy birthday, governor.
ASHFORD: Cheers.
MICHAELSON: Thank you, guys for being here.
ASHFORD: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Abel and Elizabeth. Thank you to the governor who introduced me to both of you so I wouldn't be here without him.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: For our international viewers, WORLD SPORT is next. For our viewers in north America, I'll be right back with some FIFA drama.
Cheers.
[01:41:42]
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MICHAELSON: On the heels of the most lucrative World Cup of all time that raked in $15 billion, world football's governing body FIFA, is now locked in a standoff with European football's top authority, and FIFA appears to be calling UEFA's bluff after the Europeans threatened to boycott all future World Cups.
They're angry over a new FIFA proposal to sell a significant stake in its business competitions. The message from UEFA, "Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale."
FIFA fired back with this. "Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain." But FIFA added that it is moving forward with its controversial plan to launch a subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, in which private investors would get about a 20 percent stake.
Tracey Holmes runs The Sports Ambassador podcast and is the author of "The Sports Ambassador Substack". Comes to us now from Sydney, Australia.
Welcome to THE STORY IS.
TRACEY HOLMES, HOST, "THE SPORTS AMBASSADOR" PODCAST: Thank you very much for having me, Elex.
MICHAELSON: FIFA not backing down. So where are we at? What are the options on the table right now?
HOLMES: Well, we have a bit of a standoff, don't we? So we've seen UEFA and it has been the dominant voice in world football for many decades.
Saying that not only have they had their right to a vote, and they are voting to reject this plan for private equity investment, but also they want an absolute boycott of all FIFA events unless FIFA drops this plan, offering others the vote.
And so many people in other regions around the world are thinking, well, how come they get their vote? But we don't get ours?
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, all this is happening. FIFA's broadcast rights are up. Here in the United States, FIFA aired on Fox. Now there's going to be a bidding war. Could be a multi-billion-dollar bidding war to televise future matches, which can be a lot of money for FIFA.
Look, big picture. How much money do these guys need?
HOLMES: I don't think it's a matter of need, but I think it's a process of being on this cycle of eternal growth. And you know, this is what all sports want.
Already, football is the dominant global game. There's no doubt about that on many, many measurements. But that's not to say that it shouldn't grow.
What we saw with the last FIFA World Cup, which was so successful, and a majority of the games there in the U.S.A., was that there were more people competing from more nations.
And I think this is what FIFA's mandate has been, is to make it more equitable around the world, invest more money in places that traditionally haven't had it. And we saw some of the results of that at this most recent World Cup.
MICHAELSON: And of course, the talk is at the next World Cup to make it even bigger -- 64 nations. Of course, that assumes that Europe is part of that pool. It would be hard to get there if all these UEFA countries did not -- be a part of the World Cup.
So if private investors end up getting involved, what does that mean for the World Cup? For fans that are used to watching it. More commercials? We had these hydration breaks during the last World Cup, which allowed advertisements to run. What could it mean for ticket prices?
HOLMES: Yes, I think what we saw in the U.S. was the way that, you know, elite and professional sports are contested in the U.S. And the -- and the World Cup really fitted into that model this time around. So there'll be more of that.
You know, costs continues to go up but what they're talking about with this private investment model is a 20 percent stake. It's been valued. Their commercial value for their major tournaments is at 20 billion US$. And they're looking at taking investment or, you know, liquidity for about 25 percent of that.
And so that is the money that then goes back into the other nations. But when they talk about a boycott from UEFA, I think one of the
troubling aspects is that the next men's World Cup is not until four years' time.
MICHAELSON: Right.
[01:49:45]
HOLMES: The next women's World Cup is next year. So if one is going to be impacted, it's most likely going to be the women's.
MICHAELSON: Yes, I can't believe it's going to be here before we know it.
Sports Ambassador podcaster, Tracey Holmes, in Sydney where it's approaching 4:00 on Friday afternoon. Thanks so much for being with us.
HOLMES: Thanks for having me.
MICHAELSON: Ahead, the State Department is expanding access to a commemorative passport bearing President Trump's image.
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MICHAELSON: The U.S. State Department will soon offer passports featuring President Trump's image nationwide. The commemorative passports also feature his signature.
The State Department began issuing those passports earlier this month to people who applied in person at the Washington, D.C. Passport Agency.
[01:54:49]
MICHAELSON: Starting next month, applicants can get one at commemorative passport events at agencies across the whole country.
Let's take a look at the big stories we're following for the day ahead.
Spain's prime minister is headed to the enclave of Ceuta in the coming hours, after thousands of migrants rushed across the border with Morocco.
We've been showing you this video. Officials say at least nine people died as the crowd broke through the fence along the border on Thursday. Spain now sending troops there to maintain security.
Now to the Lindsay Clancy triple murder trial. In the coming day, the jury will visit the home where the Massachusetts mother killed her three children three years ago.
Jurors will be able to walk around, and lawyers are expected to point out significant features. We are still waiting for Hamas to confirm whether or not it actually
has reached a deal with President Trump. The president says the agreement would fully disarm Hamas and all other groups armed in Gaza.
He claims it would pave the way for Gaza to be governed by what he calls a new Palestinian government, working alongside the Board of Peace.
Of course, it is now morning in Gaza. It will be interesting in the hours ahead to see if we hear an official response on that.
Thanks for being with us for THE STORY IS.
I'm Elex Michaelson. I'll see you tomorrow.
Our political panel, Fabian Nunez and Lonnie Chen, will be with us to wrap up the week.
The news continues right here on CNN after a quick break.
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